Wrench



J. J. THOMAS.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED APII. 3o, I92I.

Patented Feb. 2l, 1922.,

narran stares narrar caricia.

JOHN J. THOMAS, BALFOUR, NORTH DAKTA.

WRENCH.

Application filed April 30, 1921.

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Balfour, in the county of McHenry and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrenches, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

My invention relates `to improvements in Wrenches and it consists in thecombinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

VAn object of my invention is to provide a Wrench that can be adjusted quickly to grip articles of various sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that is provided With means operable to releasably and lirmly maintain the gripping parts thereof in adjusted positions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that has means for gripping noncircular articles and other means for gripping objects circular in section. Y

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that is constructed to occasion the gripping of an object circular in section when the handle of the device is swung in one direction about the object and the release of the object When the handle is swung in the opposite direction.

VA further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described in Which the relatively movable cri-engaging parts are completely housed so as to be protected from grit and Wear and consequently may be maintained in lubricated condition.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described in which the extent of the space between cooperating jaw members at any adjustment is approximately indicated.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described that is effective for the purpose intended, not likely to get out of order easily, and thorou hly practical commercially.

ther objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accom- Patented Feb.. 21, 19292.

Serial No. 465,734.

panying drawings forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the device,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a detail of a jaw member of the device,

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure l,

Figurel 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a section along the line 6 6 of Figure 1.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a shank 1 having an integral head 2 formed Withppposite lateral extensions 3 and 4, constituting jaw members. The shank 1 is non-circular in section and is reduced at The reduced portion` 6 is circular in section and is further reduced to dene a shoulder 7, the end portion 8 thereof being threaded at 9 and constituting a screw. Slidably disposed on the shank 1 is a sleeve 10 formed with integral lateral extensions 11 and 12 arranged to cooperate With the atv members 3 and 4 respectively. l

The aw members 3 and 11 have plane ad* jacent sides or faces 13 and 14 respectively, adapted for engagement vvith a non-circular object, such as a nut. The jaw member 4 is fashioned with the side thereof facing the jan7 member 12 recessed or curved as indicated at 15 so that the jaw member 12 may extend beyond the adjacent edge of its outer end portion 16. j rihe jaw member 12 has a guideway 17 therein in which Works a guide extension 18 of a avv piece 19 formed with teeth 2O in the inclined side thereof that faces the recessed portion of the jaw member 4. The jaw piece 19 is held for movement longitudinally with respect to the jaw member 12 by the engagement of a pin 20 carried by the guide member 18 to project through a slot 21 in the wall of the guide- Way 17.

rihe adjustment of the sleeve 10 relative to the shank 1 so as to move the cooperating jaw members winto desired relative positions is effected by the operation of cooperating alined thimbles 22 and 23, as will be understood from the following disclosure. The thimble 22 has an inwardly offset end pcrtion 24 threaded interiorly at 25 for engagement with the threaded end portion or screw S and threaded exteriorly at 26 for engage- Vsockets 36 therein.

ment'with the interiorly threaded end portion 27 ofthe thimble 23. The thimble 23 is 'further spaced from the threaded end portion 8 by an integral annular extension 28 that is threaded interiorly at 29 for engagement with the latter.

The thimble 23 is releasably maintained in adjusted position relative to the thimble 22 by the engagement of a spring pressed ball member 30 with a selected one of four spaced apart substantially hemispherical sockets 31 in the adjacent end wall ot the offset portion 24. The ball member 29 is actuated by a spring 32 disposed in a pocket 33 in the end of the annular extension 28. l

The thimble 23 is formed with an outwardly offset end portion34 that is adapted to receive the adjacent end portion of the thimble 22 so that the end of the offset .portion 24 is spaced from the adjacent end of the annular extension 28. The thimble 22 has a flange 35 abutting the end of the sleeve l() and formed with four spaced apart A spring pressed ball member 37 working in an opening 38 through the enlarged end portion of the sleeve l0 engages the sockets 36 selectively Vand releasably maintains the thimble 22 in adjusted position relative to the sleeve 10. The ball member 37 is thrust toward the thimble 22 by a spring 39 that is maintained in position by a cap screw Ll0 screwed into the openingV 38, as best seen in Figure 5.

` The end portion 8 of the shank has the threads thereof cut away at 111 and 42 for the entire length thereof, leaving diametrically opposed segmental threads. The offset portion 2st has the threads thereof: cut away at 43 and et and the annular extension 28 of the thimble 23 likewise has the threads thereof cut. away at 45 and d6. A disk 4-7 is secured to the end portion 8 as by means ot a screwetS. A spring 49 is disposed between the disk il? and a plug 50 that has a threaded engagement atflV with the thimble 23 at its outer end, whereby the spring L19 reacts against the disk 47' and tends to move the shank l away frointhe adjacent end of the thimble 22.

From the foregoing description of the various pai'ts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. When the thiinbles 22 and 23 are in the position illustrated in Fig-"ure l, the screw 8 is` engaged by the threaded segments of the offset portion 2l and the vintegral extension 28,`

which are alined. Y When the thimbles 22 and 23 are turnedas a unit, through 90 degrees or one-quarter revolution, the threaded poi'- tions of the screw 8 willbe moved out oli' engagement with the threaded walls of the oi'set portion Vd and the integral extension 28 so that the sha-nk l will be forced in the direction of itslengthv by the pressure ofthe spring t9 on the disk 4:7. Obviously,

the head 2 may iiowbemoved toward the adjacent end of the "sleeve l0 as desired and will be releasably maintained in adjusted position when the thimbles 22 and 23 are moved as a unit one-quarter revolution to cause the threaded portions thereof to engage thethreadedportions of the screw 8. The thimble 23 is normally prevented from turning relative to the thimble 22 on a;- count of the engagement of the ball member 30 with the sockets 31 vin the otlset portion 2l that is integral with the thimble-22. 'rihe thimble 22 is likewise normally `held against movement :relative to `the sleeve l0 yon account of the engagement fof the ball meniber 37 with one of the sockets 3G. The gross adjustment oli' the head 2 relative tothe adjacent end of the sleeve lO-inorder -to yposition the cooperating jaw members approximately as desired, is accomplished by moving the head 2V and: the sleeve lOvrelatively when the screw 8 has been disengaged bythe thimbles 22 and 23. Shoulda more :accurati adjustment be required, the kthimble 23 is turned one-quarter revolution .relative to the thimble 22. Y Thescrew 8 will now be Vconstantly engaged by either the offset portion 2li ofy the thimble 22 or the integrala'nnular extension 28 of thethimble `23 as the thimbles 22 and 23V are turned asa unit .to occasion a longitudinal movement oitV the shank l. f Y Y lt is to be observed that the Vshank 1 is provided withV a lscale 52 marked thereon adjacent to the head 2 so that a desired adjustment of the outer jaw members relative to the inner aw members may be accurately accomplished and the Yextentot the space between cooperating jaw memberswifll be in.- dicated.

vided with any desired unit.

The dev-ice Aillust-rated is a combination wrench adapted itor use Vwhenit is desired to grip Objects either circular in section, as for instance, pipe, or non-circular in section.A

l.V A wrench comprising a shan-k having a non-circular body lportion and formed. to provide a ja'w at one end and being circular in section for a part of its length, said cirl-DO I prefer to provide graduations having aV value of one-eighth'inch` in the scale 52. Obviously, the Ascale may be pro-V i lll] CII cular sectioned portion being threaded adjacent its end to constitute a screw, the threads being cut away to provide diametrically opposed substantially plane sides extending the length of the screw, a sleeve slidable on the noncircular body portion and formed at one end to provide a jaw adapted to cooperate with the irst named jaw, a thimble rotatably mounted on the circular sectioned portion of the shank and abutting the sleeve, said thimble being formed with a plurality of sockets in its end wall contiguous to the sleeve, and a spring pressedball member carried by said sleeve and engaging said sockets selectively to releasably lock the thimble against rotation relative to the sleeve, said thimble being formed with an inwardly extending offset portion threaded interiorly to engage the screw, the threads of the oliset portion being cut away to provide diametrically opposed substantially plane sides extending the length of the oiiset portion and adapted to register with the plane sides of the screw.

2. A wrench comprising a shank having` a non-circular body portion formed to provide a jaw at one end and being circular in section for part of its length, said circular sectioned portion being threaded adjacent its end to constitute a screw, and the threads being cut across to provide parallel substantially plane sides extending the length of the screw, a sleeve slidable on the body portion of the shank and being formed at one end to provide a jaw adapted to cooperate with the first named jaw, a thimble disposed on the shank to abut the end of the sleeve and having an inwardly otiiset portion at its outer end threaded for engagement with the screw, said inwardly oiiiset portion having the threads thereof cut across to provide parallel plane sides adapted to register with the plane sides of the screw, means for connecting the thimble and the sleeve to permit rotation ot the former, means for releasably locking the thimble against rotation relative to the sleeve, a second sleeve disposed on the screw to project beyond the end thereozt and having an inwardly extending annular portion provided with threads adapted to engage the threads of the screw, the threads of the annular extension being cut across to provide diametrically opposed plane sides adapted to register with the plane sides of the screw, said second named thimble having a threaded connection at its inner end with the adjacent end of the first named thimble and being threaded interiorly at its outer end, cooperating means carried by said thimbles at their adjacent ends for releasably locking the second named thimble against rotation relative to the first named thimble, a disk secured to the outer end of the screw for limiting the slidable movement of the latter relative to the first named thimble, a spring disposed in said second named thimble between the outer end thereof and the disk and arranged to re-act against the lat-ter, and means engaging the second named thimble at its outer end 'tor maintaining the spring in position.

3. A wrench comprising a shank formed to provide a jaw at one end and being threaded adjacent to its other end to provide a screw, a sleeve slidable on the shank and formed at one end to provide a jaw adapted to cooperate with the first named jaw, a thimble rotatably mounted on the shank and abutting the sleeve, said thimble being formed with a plurality of sockets in its end wall contiguous to the sleeve, and a spring-pressed ball member carried by said sleeve and adapted to engage said sockets selectively to releasably lock the thimble against rotation relative to the sleeve, said thimble being formed with an inwardly eX- tending oitset portion threaded interiorly to engage the screw. p

4L. A wrench comprising a shank formed to provide a jaw at one end and being threaded adjacent to its other end to constitute a screw, the threads being cut away to 'form diametrically opposed substantially plane sides extending the length of the screw, a sleeve slidable on the shank and being formed at one end to provide a jaw adapted to cooperate with the first named jaw, a thimble rotatably mounted on the shank and abutting` the sleeve, said thimble being formed with a plurality of sockets in its end wall contiguous to the sleeve, and a spring-pressed ball member carried by said sleeve and adapted to engage said sockets selectively to releasably lock the thimble against rotation relative to the sleeve, said thimble being formed with an inwardly extending oset portion threaded interiorly to engage the screw, the threads of the offset portion being cut away to provide diametrically opposed substantially plane sides extendinothe length of the offset portion and adapte to register at times with the plane sides of 'the screw.

5. A wrench comprising a shank formed to provide a jaw at one end and being circular in section adjacent to its other end, said A circular portion being threaded adjacent to its end to constitute a screw, segmental portions of the threads of said screw being out away to provide parallel substantially plane sides extending the length of the screw, a sleeve slidable on the non-circular portion of the shank and being formed at one end to provide a jaw adapted to cooperate with the iirst named jaw, a thimble disposed on the shank to abut the end of the sleeve and having an inwardly offset portion at its outer end threaded for engagement with the screw, said inwardly offset portion having segmental portions oit the threads thereof out law-ay lto provide .pafallel plane sides adapted Vto register at Vtimes with the plane sides of the screw, moans for connecting the Athimble and the sleeve to peirnit rotation of the rlo1,1nei,1niea1is for releasahly locking the thimble against rotation relatively to the sleeve, a second thimble `disposed on the sciew to fp-.i'o'jeet beyond the end thereof and having an inward-ly extending annular poi'- tion provided with threads adapted to engage the threads of fthe screw, segmental peitions of the threads of the annulaieX iii-,4075360 'tension lli'eing cntaway to provide diainetii! v'cally opposed plane sides adaptedlto register at times with the plane sides of the screw, said second-named `thinilole havin-g a A looking vthe seoond-namedv thimhle against to the Hfst-named JOHN J. THOMAS.

.rotation relatively thimble' 

